Estonia's Mark Lajal exits Wimbledon with head held high
Estonia's top men's tennis player Mark Lajal (ATP No. 269) has won plenty of plaudits for his performance in the opening round of Wimbledon on Monday. Lajal, who fought hard against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (ATP No. 3) before falling to a 6-7 (3-7,) 5-7, 2-6 defeat, vowed to return to the iconic SW19 next year.
"Life comes at you fast, a couple weeks ago I was wondering why I came to play on grass and today I played on the most magnificent court in the world, the Wimbledon Center Court, crazy," Lajal wrote on social media.
"What an honor to be able to compete on such an amazing place with such an unbelievable atmosphere, against one of the best in the world," the Estonian number one added. "Leaving Wimbledon with my head high and looking forward to the upcoming challenges."
Lajal went on to congratulate Alcaraz on his victory and wish him well in defending his Wimbledon men's singles title. The Estonian also thanked everyone for the support he received. "Proud to be Estonian," Lajal wrote "See you next year SW19, you've treated me well!"
Alcaraz was quick to respond to Lajal's Instagram post. "You gotta keep your head up! Pretty sure it's not gonna be the last time," the Spaniard wrote.
"He played great," Alcaraz said of Lajal's performance on Center Court. "I'm sure if he is still playing at this level, he's going to increase his ranking. He has the level to go up a lot. He is really young, the same age as me, and I am sure I am going to see him more often."
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